(225f) Opportunities and Obstacles: Using Board Games to Engage Students in Deeper Analysis of Societal Issues with (Potential) Genetic Engineering Solutions | AIChE

(225f) Opportunities and Obstacles: Using Board Games to Engage Students in Deeper Analysis of Societal Issues with (Potential) Genetic Engineering Solutions

Authors 

Miskioglu, E. E. - Presenter, Bucknell University
Inspired by the Summer School session on using games in teaching, I have designed and implemented a board game project for a brand new genetic engineering elective I am currently teaching. For the semester project, teams of two to three students investigated a societal issue that has potential genetic engineering solutions. Teams had to not only identify the specific issue they were focusing on, but also choose a time period and geographic location for the game. In the first half of the semester, the teams identified stakeholders, analyzed the social, political, economic, historical, and religious influences on their issue in the context of its time and place, as well as explored the potential genetic engineering technologies that could offer solutions. In the latter portion of the semester, the student team’s designed educational, cooperative-play, board games for an audience of their peers. Each team had to identify three learning objectives, as well as develop a pre- and post-play assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of their game as an educational tool. The game basics (design of board, structural elements, and baseline rules) were provided by the instructor to better ensure success of the final products and create a manageable project. Full details on the project scaffolding, as well as the final outcomes of testing the games through play, will be presented.